We need it, we want it, you can limit them, make them hard to obtain, make it a 1 per week, make it something that only drops occasionally from a super strong boss, at this point I’d begrudgingly settle for a 1 time at max level reset. It literally could reset your entire level and make you grind it again (although if you do that I’d recommend giving double xp gains after using it cause levelling is very slow).
Alternatively, give a warning that levels cannot be respecced or refunded at the beginning and make alternate characters easier to set up. I know everyone wants to have the max level raised or eliminated. It makes sense given only one specialization can be active at a time.
I think 32 would be my personal sweet spot and here’s why and how that would work: Allow respecs that are farmable or just cost resources of some kind. Keep the 31 level limit you already have to force players into choosing carefully what build they want to go for, as this is a challenging class-based game intended for coop.
Then add a 32nd level that unlocks only when you have gained every skill point in a specific line, allowing you to add an extra level to the specialization of that line, with added benefits (like guaranteeing FNIX level harvesters and tanks will drop Tick Pods for engineer and increasing the currently low drop chance by like 50%).
This will further incentivize players to fit into a specific role or specialization as opposed to trying to be a utility knife character. It also might be worth adding an extra 8 solo levels that you can mark at any time after you’ve specced all your levels, and have those 8 only active while playing solo, to help get those lone wolf’s off your back.
Outside of that, I’m loving my experience. I tried this game out on game pass because a friend briefly mentioned it and it kinda took over my life instantly. I’m currently level 14 and just finished the archipelago area. I hadn’t realized I can’t get tick Pods to drop yet so I put my points heavily into engineer, and everything I’ve seen has been saying the drop rates have been nerfed into the ground and it’s useless.
If I would’ve known that I can’t respec and have limited levels I would likely have been more careful and thought it through. I don’t really want to lose all the gear that I’ve farmed so I’ll likely have to drop it to a friend and have them toss it back to my new one. Got the soviet weapons pack. I love the feel of the 7.62 hunting rifle even if it’s damage is a bit underwhelming.
I’m hoping that I can reduce the recoil and use it as a semi-auto assault rifle while packing the PVG as my sniper/starter. Would also like a reflex sight with 1.5 zoom and much clearer peripherals, but that’s far from a priority. I look forward to where this game is going and the updates coming, but I would say after all this new content I’d take a break and deal with a few of the community issues.
I believe you want a class focus, and preventing me from setting up a good build the first time, or being able to change it once I play enough to learn my style, is gonna drive away new players who haven’t studied the game before jumping in. Or experienced players who want to change what role they are playing to keep it interesting. I’d love to swap between team medic/scavenger, murder hobo, hackerman, and ultimate survivalist.
I hope I can soon. Thank you